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Survey of Neodohrniphora spp. (Diptera: Phoridae) at colonies of Atta sexdens rubropilosa (FOREL) and specificity of attack behaviour in relation to their hosts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 February 2008

V.S.G. Silva ,
O. Bailez ,
A.M. Viana-Bailez ,
A. Tonhasca Jr  and
T.M. Castro Della Lucia
V.S.G. Silva*
Affiliation:
Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Agropecuárias, Laboratório de Entomologia e Fitopatologia, Av. Alberto Lamego 2000-Horto, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
O. Bailez
Affiliation:
Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Agropecuárias, Laboratório de Entomologia e Fitopatologia, Av. Alberto Lamego 2000-Horto, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
A.M. Viana-Bailez
Affiliation:
Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Agropecuárias, Laboratório de Entomologia e Fitopatologia, Av. Alberto Lamego 2000-Horto, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
A. Tonhasca Jr
Affiliation:
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), 2 Anderson Place, Edinburgh EHG 5 NP, UK
T.M. Castro Della Lucia
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Departamento de Biologia Animal. 36571-000, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
*
*Author for correspondence Fax: +55 22 27261658 E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Atta sexdens rubropilosa is a leaf-cutting ant that is a significant agricultural and forestry pest in the Neotropical region. This ant is parasitized by flies from the genera Neodohrniphora spp., Apocephalus spp. and Myrmosicarius spp. This study was carried out to determine which species of Neodohrniphora spp. are found near foraging trails of Atta sexdens rubropilosa and to evaluate the specificity of attack behaviour of these parasitoids. From May 2002 to April 2004, we sampled Neodohrniphora spp. hovering over foraging trails of Atta sexdens rubropilosa between 8:00 and 11:00 h and between 15:00 and 18:00 h. To investigate the attacking behaviour against the ants, flies were released individually inside an observation chamber containing a single leaf-cutting ant worker. Each parasitoid was confronted successively with a worker ant of A. sexdens rubropilosa, Atta laevigata Smith, Acromyrmex crassispinus Forel and Acromyrmex subterraneus molestans Santschi. Phorids of three species were identified: Neodohrniphora elongata Brown, Neodohrniphora declinata Borgmeier and Neodohrniphora tonhascai Brown. The three phorid species were active throughout the year and often along the same foraging trails, but N. elongata was the most frequent species. In the laboratory assay, N. elongata, N. declinata and N. tonhascai attacked workers of A. sexdens rubropilosa, A. laevigata and A. crassispinus, but not of A. subterraneus molestans.

Keywords

Acromyrmex spp.Atta spp.phoridsattack behaviourparasitism
Type
Research Paper
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 98 , Issue 2 , April 2008 , pp. 203 - 206
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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